Life As Adventure
by CooperGirlHH
Summary: Adventure Series. It might have taken her a little longer than strictly necessary, but Dinah finally comes to the conclusion that the greatest adventure might still lie before her: life. With Jack. One-shot. Reviews would be much appreciated!


**Life As Adventure**

 **Summary:** It might have taken her a little longer than strictly necessary, but Dinah finally comes to the conclusion that the greatest adventure probably might still lie before her: life. With Jack.

 **Author's Notes:** I usually write a lot of fanfcition for the Chronicles of Narnia, but I recently rediscovered my love for Enid Blyton's Adventure Series, which I used to adore when I was (much) younger. This story is a (hopefully canon-compatible) attempt to figure out what might have become of the four children after they grew up, particularly Dinah and Jack in this case; inspired by and written for the lovely _**natida**_. Thank you for reminding me of this fandom!

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Just borrowing ...

XXX

Dinah had been sitting at at the airport for nearly an hour now, waiting. Watching the information panel, she was barely able to keep the frown off her face. She knew she was frowning a lot lately, and Mother kept telling her it made her look older than she was. But she couldn't help it. Why, she wondered, couldn't just something go right?

Impatiently, she shifted on the uncomfortable bench, watching the people as they passed her by quickly, hurrying to whatever appointment they had next. It seemed as if only Jack's plane had decided to be late today, for the doors at the welcoming area kept opening up, spitting out of bunches of people.

Dinah wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but she felt terribly anxious.

Well, of course, she had every right to feel anxious; it was no wonder really, what with her silly brother, lying in a hospital bed in that small-town hospital a good hundred-and-fifty miles away from here. What had he been thinking – getting himself in the line of fire between a dog and a furious man with a loaded gun! It was just like Philip. If there was an animal's life hanging in the balance he'd abandon all reason … Dinah suppressed a low snort (there was nobody here to notice it anyway) and thought to herself, _one should think that we've all had quite enough of adventures - lasting for a lifetime_.

But there was also something else today, making her anxious – something she couldn't really figure out for herself how she felt about it: seeing Jack again. After all those months.

After sleeping with him and telling him in the morning, that it had all just been a mighty mistake.

She reminded herself – not for the first time – that she shouldn't feel bad about saying that. What had happened between them _had_ been a mistake. Looking back, she didn't know how they could let themselves get so carried away.

What she did remember very well about this night was the guilty feeling it had left her with: being the reason why he very nearly canceled that project he had been looking forward to so much. It was such a huge thing for him, the biggest and most time-consuming project he had ever participated in until now; filming birds in Siberia for a series of documentaries.

The filming project had ended a little over a week ago – many birds had left Siberia for warmer places; it was winter now – but Jack had phoned the family and had said he would be staying another week or two.

Of course, by that time, there had been no reason for him to not stay away for a little while longer. Philip hadn't been shot then; not until two days after the call. But Jack hadn't had given them a number to contact him; they had had to wait until he called again before they could tell him. Which he had been only this morning (by English time).

Now it was early in the evening (again, by English time) and the plane he should have taken was delayed by almost an hour. At least it had landed now, she realised by looking at the panels again. _So just a few more minutes now_ , she thought to herself.

And then finally the doors opened again to release more people, Jack being right in their middle, his red hair shining brightly and setting him apart from those around him. She smiled to herself, seeing how long his hair had become; unruly bangs were falling stubbornly across his forehead and he subconsciously shook his head to get them out of his eyes. He could almost have his hair bound back into a ponytail. _It might even suit him_ , she thought.

He still looked strangely alone to her without the company of Kiki, the parrot, perched on his shoulder. She had died a while before the filming project had started, and her absence had nearly torn Jack apart at first. Come to think of it, he had been rather vulnerable just before he had left for Siberia and she had taken advantage of it. Of _him_.

Or had she? Wasn't he a grown-up as well, two years older even than she was?

At least, he didn't look as if he was holding a grudge against her right now. The moment he reached her, he gave her such a warm, amiable hug she could almost make herself believe that this night all those months ago had never happened.

He wasn't dressed adequately for an English winter, she noticed. His jacket was too warm and he had even added a woolen scarf on top of it; although the scarf was merely draped around his neck and the jacket hung open. The top of his woven hat poked out of his pocket.

After the hug he stepped back and gave her the a thorough lookover, just as she gave him, and grinned. "Gosh, Dinah, it's so good to be back! I say, what a trip this was – you wouldn't believe the shots we've managed to get. I can't wait until I tell Tufty – he'll be thrilled to hear all about it and ... _oh_ –" he interrupted himself, seeming as if he had only just remembered what had brought him back this very day. "How is he?"

Dinah smirked, partly amused by Jack's enthusiasm, partly worried. "Better than he was, one week ago," she replied honestly.

"Can I see him tonight?"

"We're headed there the moment we leave this airport."

Jack nodded eagerly and adjusted the enormous rucksack he carried on his back. "Aunt Allie must be frightfully worried."

"Like you wouldn't believe. I don't think she had a good night's sleep ever since it happened."

"And here I thought _I_ was the one holding on to an adventurous lifestyle."

As they walked side by side to Dinah's little car, she could feel Jack's glances as he kept looking over at her every few minutes. "You're looking rather tired yourself, Dinah. Are you alright?"

"I'm spending all my time at this hospital these days – what do you expect?"

"So you're still interning?"

"Yes, but I am wondering if I should ask for some time off. Mother still really isn't in her right state of mind – although Philip _is_ much better now. But she neglected both – her work _and_ household – over the past week and to catch up on everything will be hard for her. Bill's off to somewhere again as well."

They reached Dinah's battered old car and got in, happy to escape the drizzling, wet-and-cold winter weather. An one-and-a-half-hour drive lay before them. Out of the corner of her eye Dinah saw Jack nestling deep into the passenger seat, head resting against the window. _He must be rather exhausted himself_ , she thought. After all, when he had started the day that morning in Siberia, it had still been the middle of the night in England – and he hadn't even known he would be traveling back that very same day. He must have had quite a difficult time, having to arrange everything so very quickly.

When they left the city behind and Dinah sped up the car, heading into the countryside, Jack turned his head towards her and asked, "so, what exactly's Tufty got himself into? You weren't very explicit on the phone and I've been wondering all day. What business does he have, ending him up on the wrong end of a loaded gun?"

Dinah threw him a short glance but directed her eyes back to the road only a second later. "I would have told you more on the phone but your money was running out. Never mind, there is not too much I can tell you about it, anyway. Apparently, Phil got called out that night because a farmer saw a stray dog on his field and he thought it had rabies. The farmer was fearing for his sheep, I guess, and for whatever reason he did have a gun at his disposal – so he went out to shoot the dog. Meanwhile his wife called the veterinarian for help. And – said veterinarian being my silly brother – it ended up with _him_ being shot, rather than the dog. That's about all I know."

"Bother," said Jack, eyes fixed at the road. "He's not leaving anything out, is he?"

Dinah gave a small, half-amused snort and quickly glanced over again. "He is on the mend, thank goodness. But it's going to be an awfully long time until he is going to be fully well again, and you know how bad-tempered he can be when he's unwell."

Jack grinned. "Oh yes, that I do know. Shared a room with him long enough. But bad-tempered or not, I can't wait to see him and give him a solid scolding."

That made Dinah giggle. "Oh, please do! I'd love to see that. Not that he hasn't been scolded enough already. Anyway, we can't stay at the hospital too long, because I think you look rather knackered yourself and – what's more important –" she scrunched up her nose, "you need a bath!"

They both chuckled.

The drove the rest of the way through the countryside in silence. It was actually the silence that Dinah had feared when she had first agreed to pick him up at the airport. But as it was now, she found that it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as she had feared it would be, but – for some strange reason – it even felt oddly comforting.

Maybe it was just his presence. The knowledge that she could lean back a little with him here, let him take charge. Uncle Bill was off on another secret mission – he didn't even know about the incident with the farmer and his gun yet – and Lucy-Ann was too harassed herself by it to be of much help to anyone. So it had been left to Dinah to get Mother away from Philip's bedside every now and then – for a bite to eat or a few hours sleep or a well-needed bath.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dinah wasn't too surprised to see her mother sit in the canteen which they had to pass by on their way in. When Mrs. Cunningham took notice of them hurrying towards her, she got up, leaving her nearly untouched snack forgotten on the table. She met them in the hall.

The moment she reached them she threw her arms around Jack. Dinah saw that her eyes were looking glassy. She was rather close to tears a lot lately.

"Oh, Jack, you're finally back home! Thank goodness, and in one piece, too! That makes at least one of you boys." But then Mrs Cunningham wrinkled her brows and shook her head. "But just _look_ at you – whatever happened to your hair? And you're awfully pale. Skinny too! Heaven's sake, wasn't there anything to _eat_ in Siberia?"

Dinah hadn't noticed it yet, due to the thick winter clothes he had been wearing, but he had left the jacket in the car and she could see that her mother was right. But Jack waved it off with a laugh. "I say, I must have _frozen_ off at least ten pounds - it was _so_ cold those past few weeks. Anyway, Aunt Allie, you mustn't worry about _me_. Take care of yourself instead, you don't look very well at all."

Mrs. Cunningham sniffed and smiled, eyes still glassy, while she boxed him lightly on his upper arm with her petite fist. "Oh, _you_! It's so good to have you back here."

She wasn't quite herself, yet. But she would be soon enough. It wasn't every day that one got a call from one's daughter, to receive the information that one's son had been shot in the stomach and had nearly bled to death. But she would get over the shock.

"Mother, we are going to see Philip. Would you like to come too or wait here until we can take you home, later on?"

Mrs Cunningham shook her head. "You two go ahead. I've had quite enough of Philip's mood for today, to be honest. The doctors say he's still quite weak, but for an ill person he can be awfully obnoxious. I'd rather sit with him next time when he's asleep, really."

The all laughed together, then Dinah and Jack went on without Mrs. Cunningham.

"Poor Aunt Allie," Jack murmured, as he walked beside Dinah, down the sterile looking corridors.

In the harsh artificial light he looked really pale indeed Dinah noticed. She thought, _even his freckles are quite faded. There can't have been much sunny weather in Siberia_.

Just outside the door to Philip's room they finally stopped hasting along and Dinah gave a tentative knock. There was no reply and she assumed that her brother must be asleep again. It became clear she was right when she cautiously pushed the door open a moment later.

The room was half-lit, looking unappealing and sterile. In the one single bed lay a nearly white looking person, his face shadowed by thick tufts of stubborn dark hair. His eyes were closed, and not even his usual faint snores were audible. The bed was surrounded by machines that gave off faint lights and low, beeping sounds.

Dinah and Jack slipped into the room and quietly closed the door. Philip never even stirred. Dinah had been witness to this all week, and yet she hadn't been able to fully get used to the picture of her normally lively brother being so still. It had been good to hear mother complaining about his moods when he was awake earlier – _anything_ seemed better than this eerie stillness.

When she glanced over she could see that it bothered Jack just as much as her.

"He doesn't even snore," he murmured.

"I reckon you'd have had quite enough of his snoring to last a lifetime," Dinah remarked.

"Still, he shouldn't be so … so …" there didn't seem to be word Jack thought fitting.

"... _soundless_ ," Dinah finally ended the sentence for him.

They sat on plain, uncomfortable stools for a while but Philip didn't wake and finally Dinah decided that staying longer wouldn't make much sense. She was tired, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how tired Jack must be. They had to get Mother home as well.

"Let's go," she finally decided. "There's nothing we can do for him right now. Besides, Lucy-Ann probably can't wait to see you. She's staying over at Mother's most of the time, helping out a little here and there, but of course she does have her job, too."

"Where will I stay, by the way?" asked Jack. "Usually, Phil's letting me crash on his couch whenever I'm around but I'd feel strange going to his place when he's not there."

"You can stay at mother's in your old bedroom, or come stay with me if you like," said Dinah. But just as the words had left her mouth she felt silly. What a stupid idea it was, inviting Jack to her place. The last time she had done that, they had ended up rolling about naked on her bed, leading to that awkward situation they still hadn't talked about yet.

Suddenly she remembered that very night quite clearly; they had all visited Lucy-Ann who lived in the next town over, and after a couple of beers at the local pub, both, Dinah and Philip, had been too tipsy to drive, so Jack had taken them both home to Dinah's place in her car.

Having to get up early in the morning, Philip had left his sister and his best friend to themselves and had walked home from Dinah's, but the other two had gone in for another beer and a chat. Dinah had told Jack about her internship at the local hospital – a necessity on her way to become a medical doctor – and he had told her about the upcoming filming project in Siberia. They both had been eager to know every detail of each other's lives.

After a while, Jack had also started talking about missing Kiki, his parrot and constant companion over the past couple of years, saying a little sheepishly that he hoped Dinah didn't think of him as being silly; a grown man, putting that much importance into the life of a parrot. She had smiled sympathetically and had assured him it wasn't silly at all. They all missed Kiki.

One thing had led to another – a little touch here, a deep-felt kind word there – and then suddenly their clothes were off and they were rolling about on the bed. She hadn't known for sure until that evening how sexually experienced he was, but would have been surprised if not he had had an experience here or there before. Despite his madness for birds – that _did_ take some getting used to, no doubt – he attracted female attention easily enough; she had noticed.

And while they were at it, it had become very clear to her that he _was_ experienced indeed. There was a tale-telling confidence about every movement he made, and – although Dinah was quite sure to remember that she had been the one initiating it – he soon took control of the situation; knowing well what he was doing at every moment.

They had fallen asleep together but woken up early, agreeing on not telling anyone about their night together. To make sure that Philip wouldn't become suspicious Jack had even got out at five in the morning to jog over to his best friend's place and get back to sleep there on the couch – where he was supposed to have been all night long.

As turned out later, Philip had never suspected anything and Dinah had been quite relieved when she realised. She wouldn't have thought that her brother would have been very thrilled at the idea of his sister and his best friend having had sex.

"I'd like staying at yours – _if_ you'll have me," Jack said into the silence that had followed after Dinah's offer, his voice uncharacteristically timid. He glanced over at her but she didn't meet his eyes.

"Of course I'll have you," she merely mumbled before they slipped quietly out of the room and went to find Dinah's mother who was still in the canteen, picking at her food tiredly.

Dinah sighed. If only Bill would come back soon to take care of her!

After Dinah had dropped her mother off at her place and Jack had said hello to his younger sister, who was staying with Mrs. Cunningham, Dinah and he drove on to where Dinah lived in a small flat in an elderly woman's loft. It was a tiny, yet cosy place; only one large room, with a small kitchen area that Dinah hardly ever used and a narrow bathroom that ran out of hot water on a regular basis. Once Dinah would be a doctor she would find herself a better place, of course, but until then, she would have to deal with what she had. The rent was low enough.

When the door was closed behind them, Jack rid himself of his rucksack, letting out an audible, " _oof_!" Meanwhile Dinah went into the kitchen, searching through the contents of her shelves for something edible. She found a shriveled apple and some dry bread; there was nothing else. It was too late to go out to eat too. They would have to hold out until the morning.

Meanwhile Jack had made himself comfortable on the small couch. He had pulled off his shoes and the thick jacket and jumper he had been wearing and now sat with his legs propped up on the small table.

Dinah felt suddenly nervous, looking at him. But she told herself not to be silly. This was Jack – they had known each other since childhood! But, of course, things were different between them now. She wanted to talk to him about that night, and then again she did not.

"Lucy-Ann was thrilled to see you," she finally said, just to break the silence.

"You bet," replied Jack. "She really was devastated when I told her for how long I would be away. She did make me feel a little guilty about going, if truth be told. But then again I knew she had all of you … so she wasn't alone."

Dinah gave him a lopsided smirk. "You do realise that she isn't likely to ever be lonely, even _without_ us, don't you?"

Knitting his brows, Jack asked, "what do you mean?"

Dinah laughed as she dropped down on the couch beside him. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed the effect she has on men? They're practically lining up on her doorstep."

Blushing slightly, Jack shook his head. "No, I didn't really notice that. But that's probably just because I don't _want_ to notice. She's my little sister. I don't like to think of her as a grown up."

"Well, she is. Grown up, I mean. Although I do find it cute that you still feel so protective of her. I don't think Philip still feels protective of me at all. But then, he never has, I suppose."

Jack let out something of an amused snort. "You'd be rather annoyed if he did, Dinah."

"Well, maybe I would have liked my older brother feeling protective of me as well," she muttered. "Or at least, a little more kindly." She shook her head. "I wasn't even meaning to tell you, but we did have quite an argument before the night he was shot."

"You always argue. What's new about that?"

Dinah gave Jack a hard look, probably more so than he deserved. After all, he hadn't said anything but the truth. "We do, but usually we get over it before we really get into it. Not this time, however. You wouldn't believe just _how_ angry I was at him. But then ... after he was shot there was a short moment when I thought, we wouldn't get a chance to make it up, because … well, you know."

"Because he very nearly died," said Jack, paling at the significance of his own words.

Dinah nodded. "Yes, it was a really close call. At lot closer than anything that has ever happened to us, in any of our adventures."

"What was your argument about? One of his beloved pets again?"

"Yes, well … partly. I got annoyed that he repeatedly made me look like a fool in the presence of other people. He knows how much I hate those creepy creatures he loves to collect, and he kept using them to make other people laugh at my expense. I've had quite enough of it, and I told him so."

"And that probably didn't go very well."

"No." She blushed. "Although it was partly my fault. You know me when I'm angry. I'm kind of … the direct type."

Jack grinned and clapped a hand on her back amiably. "Oh, I do know. But that's what I like about you."

"Well, good for me _you_ like it." She grimaced. „Philip, on the other hand, told me straight out that I was totally lacking sense of humor, and that if I stopped being such a cotquean about it then people would probably like me much better. And I think he must've been really angry at me because he also added that I might even find a man one day if I stopped being so prickly."

Letting out a low whistle, Jack had to admit, "wow that's mean."

"Yes, and he just wouldn't take it back. Well, he has, the other day when I visited him at the hospital. But it was nearly too late."

Jack shook his head. "Silly idiot, he can be. I hope you know that I don't think of you as being too prickly." He grinned. "Well, most of the time, anyway."

For that Dinah nudged him hard. "Why, _you_ –"

He nudged her back, and she picked up a cushion to flung it at his head. He ducked away but wasn't fast enough. Soon they were both tackling each other, shoving and flinging cushions and giggling as they did so. Their play-fight lasted almost five minutes, but then they were out of breath from laughing. Jack was yawning too, covering his open mouth with his forearm just in time before she could tell him off.

"Do you still keep the spare blanket and pillow in the chest in the corner?" he asked her, making it clear that it was time to turn in for the night. He got up and went to find said utensils.

Dinah nodded and wondered how he was supposed to get comfortable on her couch – he was much too tall for it. He would probably wake up all cramped and sore in the morning. The last time he had spent the night at hers they had both slept in her bed.

"You can't possibly sleep on the couch," Dinah heard herself say before she could stop the words coming out of her mouth. "You'll be all cramped, my couch is quite a lot smaller than Philip's."

"Well, I need to crash _somewhere_ ," said Jack. "There is nowhere else I could sleep."

"How about the bed?"

"The bed?" He knitted his brows and ran a hand through his too-long red hair. Scratching the back of his head pensively, he eyed first her bed then her for a long, but not entirely uncomfortable moment. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I'm not suggesting that we have sex, if that's what you're thinking," said Dinah.

"Never expected anything like that," he replied. "You made your point clear after the last time, and I respect that."

Drawing her brows together, Dinah asked, "you _respect_ it? Does that mean you don't _share_ my opinion? About us?"

"No, not really," he admitted, glancing at her almost shyly.

She gaped at him, lost for words for a moment, before she managed to inquire quietly, "so … you didn't think that what we did before you left for Siberia was a mistake?"

Jack didn't reply at once. He just eyed her, his expression frustratingly blank. Then he finally spoke again. "You saw it that way, and that was reason enough for me to retreat. I wouldn't have, though, if you hadn't told me to. I actually thought about it a lot, while I was in Siberia. And to be honest I was hoping that you would have changed your mind by the time I got back."

There was a long silence. His words hung in the air, and she suddenly felt guilty and stupid at the same time for pushing him away the way she had.

"I didn't think that it would work out between you and me," she told him after a while. "You're not the type to settle down, especially not before thirty. Traveling around the globe for exotic birds is your life."

"But it doesn't have to be like that forever, does it?"

She had assumed that it would be – that he would keep travelling to far places for most of his life, participating in filming project after filming project. And that maybe, one day, he would find a nice woman – probably as crazy about his beloved birds as he was – and then they would travel the world together. Meanwhile she, Dinah, needed to stay where she belonged; close to Mother and Bill and to Philip and to her home.

Adventures they had had together when they were children, but those didn't seem to appeal to her anymore. Instead she had picked up a career – or was on well on her way there – that consumed a lot of her time. He had his passion and it took him around the world for most of _his_ time. How were they supposed to fit together?

Her eyes darted around the room while she was trying to find the right words. "I didn't expect you to be ready to give up on traveling, yet," she finally got out, slowly. "Not for me, anyway."

Jack grinned. "Who said I was going to give anything up for you? There are lots of interesting birds living very nearby; on the coast of Ireland or in the forests of northern Scandinavia. I don't have to travel to Sumatra or to the poles to find something that interests me. There's much to been seen, only a few hours' worth of traveling away from England. You could … well, come and visit me, if that job of yours leaves you with enough free time. Bring along Tufty or Lucy-Ann, or both."

Allowing herself a small smile Dinah cautiously crossed the room to where he stood, still clutching her spare blanket and pillow and looking at her, expectantly.

"That doesn't sound so very bad at all," she said. "But is it really what you want?"

"I couldn't think of anything I'd want more than that," said Jack. "You do get lonely traveling around world with people you don't know very well all the time." Suddenly he looked almost a little sad.

Once more she could hardly think of anything fitting to say to him. But then, maybe she didn't have to say anything at all. Maybe, if she just took his hand and pulled him over to her bed, and if they just were close to each other – maybe that would be enough and more than words could ever say.

Moments later she had done exactly that, and it was a little strange, actually, that she still did not feel like suggesting that they had sex. Lying there with her back against his stomach and feeling his breath against her neck, brushing her ear lightly, was all she wanted for now. And he seemed to agree; the soon fell asleep that way.

Her alarm went off much too soon in the morning, and she almost just turned it off and rolled over. But she was too aware of her duties. And Jack had already got out of bed anyway.

She smiled to herself, thinking about the day that lay ahead; they could drive to the hospital in her car and if they hurried a little they would be able to get breakfast together in the canteen before she had to go and see to her duties that came with the internship. And he could go and see Philip and tell him all about the filming project in Siberia. It felt like a perfect thing for them to do and when she suggested it, he seemed quite happy to agree.

They ended up having a rather small breakfast because the canteen at the hospital did not offer anything much appealing. Afterwards Dinah handed her car keys to Jack, asking him if he could go and see Mother later and give her a lift to the hospital if she wanted to.

Jack agreed and when they were about to part, he held her back, asking quietly, "do you reckon we should keep things between us secret for a while? At least until Tufty's out of here and back at home? I wouldn't want to spring this on him when he's not well."

Dinah nodded. "He'll be asking where you're staying, if you're not staying at his place. But until he gets back home, we can make everyone think that you _are_ staying at his place."

Jack grinned. "I do know where he's keeping the spare key, so it would make sense."

He bent forward to kiss her good-bye, and it felt strange, but not at all wrong. A nurse Dinah knew walked past them and she winked at Dinah behind Jack's back. She winked back, happily.

After they parted the day became unbearably long. Although her duties kept her busy enough, the time seemed to tick by much too slowly, and it was nearly driving Dinah insane. During her lunch break she paid a short visit to Philip but found him alone and asleep once more.

It wasn't until the evening before she finally saw Jack the next time. They had all come together to see Philip and were sitting on the hard wooden stools around the hospital bed when she entered; Mother, Lucy-Ann – and Jack, of course.

Their eyes met the moment Dinah entered the room and they looked at each other maybe a tad too long but no one seemed to take notice of it.

Dinah noticed that Jack must have been at Philip's place some time during the day for he was wearing one of her brother's shirts. Probably most of the clothes he had brought in his enormous rucksack were worn and filthy and he hadn't had a chance to get them washed, yet. It was a bright red shirt he had picked, and it was a little snug on his broad shoulders. On top of that the red colour clashed rather spectacularly with his hair, but that could very well just be the reason why he had picked that very one.

Philip was quite awake this time, and he was being his usual obnoxious self, Dinah thought. He complained mightily about the hospital food and the fact that he wasn't allowed to keep any pets while he was staying here. Dinah was soon annoyed with him, having to explain about hygienic rules over and over again, but beneath her annoyance she also felt very glad to see her brother so alert. There was more energy in him than there had been at any point during the past week, and despite his complaints about the food, she saw that there was an empty plate on the bedside table. Her brother was definitely on the mend.

Mother had news, too. "Bill called," she said. "He'll be back tonight. When I told him what happened with that farmer, he said he was going to call the local police office and ask about what is going to happen. He called again later. He says you're going to have to talk to the police once you're well enough, Philip; give a statement."

"I don't remember much at all," Philip muttered gloomily.

"It was an accident, wasn't it? I don't think the farmer meant to hurt Philip," Lucy-Ann chimed in.

"He still belongs into jail," said Philip with open disgust in his voice. "He meant to shoot that dog, poor thing. He was just a stray, and had nowhere to go. Must've been hungry, too. But he certainly wasn't rabid, _anyone_ could see that." He wrinkled his brows thoughtfully. "What happened to the dog, Mother, do you happen to know?"

"I think it will probably have been brought to the nearest pound. The police should know for sure."

"I shall go and see if I can take him home and keep him. He needs a home."

Mother opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again, without saying anything. She probably just figured that there was no need to discuss the matter now – and Dinah silently agreed. Besides, her brother was an adult, they had no business making this decision for him.

They all had a lovely time all together; Jack told them everything he had seen and experienced in Siberia, and both – Dinah and Lucy-Ann told a little about their respective jobs. It seemed too soon when Mother got up, saying, "I think we had better leave Philip to himself for now." She turned to her son, adding, "you're still awfully peaky. You must rest now."

"Oh, do _not_ say peaky, Mother – what an awful word," said Philip whinyly. But he did look peaky and all the complaining in the world would not change a thing about it!

They left the hospital together and went to Mother's place, where Mother cooked for them and then Bill arrived and they all sat together and got stuffed until they couldn't move, and Jack said he had missed that, and Dinah smiled at him, and Lucy-Ann beamed, and Mother packed some of the leftover food for Philip, saying that he needed feeding up after a week's worth of hospital food, and Bill informed them all that the farmer with the gun might even be facing charges for attempted manslaughter – depending on Philip's statement.

It was rather late when Dinah and Jack announced that they would leave and they made it a point to mention that Dinah would drop off Jack at Philip's place, so that none of the others would get suspicious. Of course Mother told them that they could all stay at her house, but they said that she and Bill should spend some time together, and then Lucy-Ann decided that she would like to go home as well.

When they arrived at Dinah's she and Jack soon realised that they weren't nearly as tired as the night before and they had sex that night, twice actually, and when they woke up the next morning, it seemed like it was the brightest morning ever, although it was still dark outside and it was drizzling and cold.

Dinah thought to herself that the greatest adventure probably still lay before her: life. With Jack.

XXX

 **A/N:** Any Adventure Series fans out there? Let me know what you think!


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